Microsoft trumpets Xbox 360 sales growth

Microsoft’s Xbox 360 promotional department has kicked off 2009 with a bang, by claiming that over 28m units have now been sold worldwide since the console's 2005 launch.

The console's sales figure puts it ahead of Sony’s PlayStation 3, which has sold roughly 20m units since 2006, according to a report by the LA Times.

Aaron Greenberg, Director of Product Management for the Xbox 360, said that Microsoft is widening its lead against the PS3. “This [2008] was the best year in the history of the Xbox, despite the tough economy”.

Total European Xbox 360 sales now sit at around 8m, according to Microsoft. The figure highlights impressive sales for the console over the festive period, because Microsoft announced back in November that European Xbox 360 sales had already reached 7m.

Microsoft’s announcement comes not long after Mindy Mount, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division, said that the total number of Xbox 360s in use globally would reach 25m before December 2008. ®